Dundas Little Theatre Inc.
was founded in 1960 by a group of local enthusiasts
in the basement of the late Don Garstin's Dundas home.
For twenty years, we performed in local school auditoriums.
By 1978 it was becoming obvious that we needed a home
of our own. We searched long and hard for a site and
were delighted when the Town of Dundas offered the site
of the recently closed outdoor swimming pool. DLT accepted
the Town's offer and a new page in our history was turned.
The architect, Trevor Garwood-Jones, decided that the
original changing rooms of the pool building were sturdy
enough to be built over rather than torn down. The pool
was filled in and the auditorium built over it. We asked
for a “creative space” rather than a proscenium
stage, with raised seats on moveable risers. This makes
DLT unique in that each production can be staged to
its best advantage, the director and players having
the benefit of a chosen stage size and placement. The
members of DLT enthusiastically worked endless hours
to raise funds for the new building. Wintario matched
our efforts and we made it - $352,000! The names of
those who made the Centre for the Arts a reality appear
on our Donor Wall in the lobby. Friday May 23, 1980
was the Great Day! The then Minister of Culture and
Recreation for Ontario, Reuben Baetz, officially opened
the building, after which Somerset Maugham's “The
Constant Wife” was performed. Our first play at
the Centre for the Arts!
